


A Price to Pay

by missema



Series: Stolen Hearts [3]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Bargains, Daedric Lord, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Nighingales, Plot What Plot, Thieves Guild, Threesome - F/F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-26
Updated: 2012-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 23:18:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missema/pseuds/missema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nocturnal requires more of the new Nightingales Karliah brings her, and they are bound to oblige.</p><p>From a kmeme prompt</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Atria wasn't surprised at all to learn that Karliah, Gallus and Mercer were Nightingales, dedicated to Nocturnal. It reminded her of what Delvin had said when she first joined the Guild, that there was a curse upon them, but that the others thought he was crazy for saying it. She'd lived in Cyrodiil, amongst peasants and priests, fighters and mages, and they'd all prayer fervently to their chosen daedra and divines. The blessings brought them fortitude and luck, strength and gold when they were able to receive them and misfortune and even death when they weren't. She'd seen curses and blessings and thought the persistent bad luck of the guild showed all the signs.  
  
What she didn't understand was how she could help, but she rather liked Karliah, and the desire to kill Mercer Frey increased with every trespass he made against her and the Guild. She'd pay whatever price was necessary, the scar he'd left on her from Snow Veil Sanctum demanded his blood be spilled for trying to murder her.  
  
Karliah had brought them to Nightingale Hall, but hadn't explained much to either her or Brynjolf. Atria had shown up after the other two and got the feeling they'd been talking about her before she arrived. It didn't matter - if it truly concerned her, it would come out in time. Vengeance burned too fiercely within Atria, blotting out any sense of caution or curiosity she may have had about Nocturnal. Her questions could be answered later, after they'd stopped Mercer.  
  
Atria felt Karliah's eyes on her and turned, but Bryn was in the way, and he seemed oblivious. Tension was rolling off Karliah in waves, and Atria found she didn't envy the poor Dunmer woman, who had earned the displeasure of the goddess she served. Slipping into her armor as quickly as possible, Atria was surprised when she felt strong hands holding her long, dark hair away from her collar, keeping it from being buckled into the tight leather. The whole getup was a little snug over her curves, but all armor needed time to fit properly. She smiled her thanks at him before putting on her gloves and mask, noticing that he was already completely done, and it looked rather fetching on him. She wouldn't call him sweet, but he was thoughtful, and caring towards everyone in the guild. He and Sapphire were close, and he was the only person Vex ever curbed her tongue with. That Atria respected him was undoubted, and it pleased her to think that he respected her as well.  
  
"Sometimes Nocturnal demands another price, but we won't know until we summon her. Before we go in, you must be willing to do whatever she asks, otherwise we won't receive her blessing." Karliah explained to Atria and Brynjolf, once they were in their armor.  
  
Behind her mask Karliah looked anxiously from Brynjolf to Atria and back again. Both nodded, but she wondered if they truly understood. They'd find out soon enough, and maybe all of her worry would have been for nothing, but Karliah doubted it.  
  
Nocturnal and her bargain weren't foremost in Atria's mind as Karliah began calling upon the daedra, though she was curious about the mysterious patroness that supposedly influenced luck and thievery. Becoming a Nightingale - well she hadn't even known they were real before, and it seemed like little more than an honor. She wondered if there was more to it things that Karliah wasn't saying. The woman was understandably cagey when it come to information, though she'd been nothing but helpful to Atria.  
  
"Ah, Karliah, they are willing, but not trusting, these two. Those in your profession must trust each other to band together. Mercer's betrayal has done much to splinter the group, and they will look to the three of you in the coming days. Trust cannot be built with one act alone, but rather a series of actions. You all must be willing to take the first step now." Nocturnal sounded more like a sage protector than a daedric Lord, but Atria nodded, unsure of what words to offer as confirmation.  
  
While she did trust Karliah wholeheartedly, Brynjolf was another story. Her feelings towards him were complicated, and she couldn't pretend she didn't feel a sense of unease whenever she went into the Ragged Flagon. Amongst the members in the Cistern, she felt more at home, and was friendly with all of them, but the upper echelon, Brynjolf, Vex and Delvin, still intimidated her, especially in the vacuum of power since Mercer was unmasked. Vekel called her Bryn's protege, but she didn't feel like it, she felt as if she were still, constantly proving herself. They'd barely spoken since she'd finished the Goldenglow job, he'd simply passed her on to Mercer, who'd tried to kill her.  
  
A tiny niggling inside of her reminded Atria of why she followed him in the first place. Of the well defined body that was not too far from where she stood, in indentical armor, the hands that looked both deft and strong, and the hidden shoulder-length ginger hair she wanted to run her hands through. Entirely inappropriate thoughts about someone whom barely even spoke to her most days.  
  
All of these thoughts swirled within her as Nocturnal explained further. "You must create a bond together. It can be pleasurable, can it not, creating these ties? I do not wish you harm, not while Mercer still needs to be caught. But the three of you must join under my gaze, so I know it has been transacted, and take the steps towards trusting each other."  
  
Karliah stepped off her circle, walking towards the center stone. "My lady, am I correct in understanding that you wish us to copulate?" Her voice was a little stilted as she formally posed the question, but otherwise she betrayed no other outward sign of distress. Comprehension bloomed within Atria as she began to understand Karliah's words from earlier. A price to be paid, anything the goddess demanded.  
  
"Yes." Was all the answer she provided to them. Karliah looked over her shoulders, first at Bryn and then at Atria, who merely shrugged at her. This wasn't the first time that the Dragonborn had been involved in sex with more than one person, though she hadn't thought it would ever be required of her. Despite the massive potential to become awkward, it wasn't a truly unwelcome situation. She'd done worse for daedric lords - luring people to their deaths, fighting spirits; sex with her fellow Nightingales was like a vacation comparatively.  
  
Atria walked to Karliah's side, and joined her on the center platform where the shrouded form of Nocturnal hung above them. Bryn was aghast, and took off his mask so he could display it. "Lady Nocturnal, you actually want us to? All three of us? Right now?"  
  
"Yes, to all of those questions. Prove your loyalty to me and to each other, or be denied and damned."


	2. Chapter 2

Atria took Karliah's hand, hoping to indicate that the situation didn't bother her and attempted to use a soothing touch to calm the Dunmer.  Karliah was still desperately tense, so rigid that she might snap, as she and Atria waited for Brynjolf to join them.  At her gesture, Karliah looked at their joined hands and back up at Atria's face.  She still wore her mask, so it was difficult to determine if she was questioning or appreciative, but she didn't relinquish Atria's hand.  Bryn was determinedly not meeting her eye as he slowly walked towards them, hesitation in every step.  Letting go of Karliah, Atria took off the masked hood she'd just donned, and shook out her hair in an effort to maintain some sense of outward calm.  A trill shot up her spine as she stood there, the anticipation making her soar.  
  
"Did you have to do this with Mercer and Gallus?"  Bryn asked, frowning.  
  
"No, but I'd been a part of the guild for years, we all knew each other.  Even if our trust later proved to be misplaced in Mercer, I had no reason to distrust him then.  
  
With her words, Atria understood what was wrong - she was the odd one out.  That the Guild hadn't killed Karliah on sight when she came down to the Flagon to expose Mercer was a testament of how much Brynjolf still trusted Karliah.  If the situation had played out differently, she doubted that she would have been given as much slack.  The realization dampened her spirits somewhat, but it didn't fully blot out the excited arousal coursing through her.  She stepped towards Brynjolf, letting the mask in her hand fall to the ground.  Her other hand went back to Karliah's, and she spoke slowly.  
  
"It's me.  I'm new and still mostly unknown to both of you.  But I don't find Nocturnal's request unwelcome."  Atria admitted in a husky voice.  "I can give a little trust if you both can."  She finished, looking through her lashes at Brynjolf.  It wasn't supposed to be seductive, but all of her actions felt loaded, and she liked the duplicity of it.  Already she was hiding, shielding her feelings and attraction behind the request, shading herself from any hurt.   
  
Those were feelings she'd have to work out some other time.  No one was speaking or moving, as if they were all waiting for the hovering goddess to instruct them, or politely ask them to move it along.  When nothing else happened, Atria tried again.  Summoning up her courage, she leaned over and kissed Brynjolf, still holding Karliah's hand.   
  
She felt his surprise as her lips brushed lightly against his own, but he recovered, putting an arm around her waist as he pressed back against her mouth with some force.  Her fingers curled around Karliah's, squeezing it as Brynjolf' began to tease her lips with his tongue.  He was all pent-up heat beneath her lips, tongue caressing her own as their kiss grew more feverish with every moment.  He wanted her, she could feel it hidden as the control he had over the kiss eroded.  Atria nipped at his lower lip before backing away, her heart already beating faster inside of her chest.  If she kept kissing Brynjolf, it might just go to her head and she'd forget that they were here for Nocturnal, not her own desires.  
  
This time it was Karliah who disentangled their fingers, slowly taking off her mask.  She was more reticent than Bryn, though Atria felt she was just being cautious, not disinterested.  Perhaps she'd only had a few lovers since Gallus, or maybe none at all, though that didn't seem likely.  Brynjolf moved towards her, raking his fingers through Karliah's brown hair, caressing her face with a thumb as if he were asking a question wordlessly.  Karliah closed her eyes with a smile, and he bent his head to kiss her, as Atria stood there, waiting.  
  
She watched as Brynjolf kissed Karliah, a slow, exploratory kiss, and Atria watched as Karliah unwound beneath the touch of his lips.  When she began to lean into the kiss instead of standing rigid, Brynjolf pulled away, glancing back at Atria.  Her hands were on him before he could speak again and she was tugging at the armor she'd just watched him get into.  Karliah was of the same mind as her, and soon four hands were undressing him, skimming over the muscles of his body in appreciation as they eagerly disrobed him.  When he had only to step out of his boots and let the rest pool around him, Atria had already moved towards Karliah, and started removing her armor.  
  
Karliah's hands were quicker, already familiar with the Nightingale armor, and she unfastened it so Atria could push it away.  Karliah kissed Atria, her soft, small mouth pressing up against Atria's fuller lips.  She was still hesitant, but willing, the kiss she gave Atria almost shy in the beginning.  The hovering pulse of energy that was Nocturnal was still there, but somehow reduced, less present than it had seemed not just minutes before.  Moving their kiss downward, Atria nipped at her jaw, her tongue drawing a line down her collarbone, teasing a soft moan from Karliah.  The tips of her breasts stood out against the rough cloth still covering them, hard and taut, and as Atria kissed Karliah, she brushed against them, touching them through the fabric.  Strong, masculine hands pulled at Atria's own armor, Bryn behind her, caressing her rear through her armor as Atria and Karliah continued to kiss.  
  
Brynjolf hooked an arm around her waist, and broke her kiss with Karliah as he hauled Atria towards him.  She could feel the heat of his bare body pressed up against her back, seeping through her armor.  He and Karliah seemed to be communicating over her shoulder, because she saw Karliah give him a look of comprehension, just before Brynjolf tilted her chin up so she could meet his mouth.  Their kiss was nothing like the first one, but raw, savage, his tongue probing without invitation, simply parting her lips of his own accord and delving into the wet heat of her mouth.  Her gasp of pleasure was swallowed by Brynjolf as Karliah's fingers worked at her armor, taking off the tight pieces.  It felt as if heated honey filled her veins, and her thoughts were too fogged to understand anything but sensation.  A few kisses had set her tired, deprived body aflame, and she was at once seized by a greed, wanting, needing to be made mindless with pleasure by both Karliah's fingers and Brynjolf's lips.  
  
"Kiss her, lass and let me undress her."  Brynjolf instructed them.  Atria got the feeling that she wasn't the only one here that had been in this situation before, but was happy to let him orchestrate the encounter.  "Aye, you're so beautiful."  He whispered into Atria's neck, giving her another kiss before relinquishing her.  
  
She and Karliah complied, her mouth slanting against the Dunmer's once more, and she felt his gaze on them as he hastened to remove the rest of her armor.  Too soon, she felt him breaking their kiss again, and Atria was being pulled down, down to the cool stone.  It was partially a relief, she hadn't known how long she could keep standing, being pulled and kissed, but the ground was rough beneath her heated, sensitive skin, and she longed for the comfort of a bed.  Somehow, she doubted Nocturnal could or would provide one if she asked, and she shifted her concentration elsewhere, not wanting to get bogged down with petty thoughts.


	3. Chapter 3

Any lingering thoughts were driven from her mind as Brynjolf leaned in to whisper to her again. "Take off the rest of your clothes, lass. Lay naked and let me admire you." He bade in a voice made husky with lust His words had her tugging impatiently at the last of her things, abandoning her smallclothes as Bryn bent his head to capture the tip of Karliah's breast in his mouth.  
  
She watched them, her hands skimming over her own body as she did, Bryn tracing a circle around Karliah's nipple with the tip of his tongue before flicking at the stiff peak. Arching toward him, Karliah let her head drop back between her shoulders, exposing the full column of her neck as he suckled at her chest. He moved between her high, small, pointed breasts, taking each in his mouth in turn, kissing and caressing the other, kneading the flesh while Karliah raked her fingers through his red hair. Their movements were mimicked by Atria's own hands, and she tweaked her own breasts as she watched Brynjolf, back arching towards her own hands, a crescendo of heat building within her.  
  
Karliah was beautiful, her slight figure almost graceful as she arched her back, letting her brown hair flow down it. Her breasts were tipped with obsidian nipples that were glistening and hard as Brynjolf kissed and teased them. She watched him, her eyes locked on his every move as he kissed her collarbone, bit the soft underside of her breasts before swirling his tongue over the ends again. Karliah moaned, a sound as soft as her voice, but raw and uninhibited. Atria saw Bryn smile against her flesh before dragging teeth over it, one hand sauntering dangerously low before coming back up again and drifting open-palmed over her stomach. Whether it was delight or a need to escape that made Karliah shut her eyes, Atria didn't know, but she suspected that it was purely a reaction to the pleasure. Desire was already racing through her head even as she simply played the spectator, making her wish for touches that were yet to come, a climax that seemed too distant yet too close. A groan escaped Brynjolf as Karliah scraped a hand up his back, the sound of it an alluringly masculine contrast to the softer whimpers and moans that had been filling the cavern.  
  
His body was muscular, scarred in a few places other than the one across his cheek, the one Atria burned to kiss. He had a dusting of auburn hair over the expanse of his chest, a whorl around his navel, begging for further, lower exploration. Around his neck, he still had on the amulet he always wore, and Atria guessed it held significance within the guild, for she'd seen Mercer wearing similar. Aside from his smallclothes, it was all that he wore, and of the trio, he was the most clothed. Atria was so caught up in examining him that she didn't notice Karliah turn to her.  
  
"She's very pretty, over there, all alone." Karliah said in her soft, melodic voice, made deeper with want. He made a leisurely turn towards her to look and nodded in agreement, his benign gaze morphing to something more predatory as he took in the sight of her. Stripped, as he'd requested, her body bore the signs of her own touches, her stoked arousal contributing a pleasant warm flush to her already attractive frame, making her glow.  
  
"Let's not leave her all alone then." Brynjolf's grin was wicked as he turned to Atria, and she shivered in anticipation, letting the trill run deliciously up her spine.   
  
They crawled over to her, and Bryn gently pushed her flat on her back, kissing her stomach as she settled against the ground.  Coolness seeped into her skin, but didn't dim the want within her.  Karliah's blue eyes were glazed as she dropped her head to place a kiss upon Atria's lips, and then, after waiting for Brynjolf to do the same, mounted those same lips.  Atria let her tongue run the length of Karliah's slit, feeling the Dunmer shiver at the touch of her tongue.    
  
With fingers and tongue, she began to pleasure Karliah, who was already warm and wet from Brynjolf.  The man himself was busy lavishing Atria's breasts with the same attention he'd given to Karliah earlier, hands kneading at her more ample bosom as he tongued her neck and chest.  At his touch, her nipples had pebbled, and he brought them to his mouth each in turn, suckling at them while dipping a hand between her legs.  
  
She bucked as his finger entered her, tripping in the rhythm she'd established with Karliah, who was moaning above her face with every stroke of her tongue.  Bryn dragged his calloused, thick finger in and out of her depths several times before spreading kisses over stomach, going lower with each one.  When his tongue descended upon her, sweeping and stroking in equal measure, she thought she might simply pass out from the pleasure of it.  With a skill that spoke to volumes of practice, Brynjolf teased her, making Atria frustrated as heat and overwhelming want coursed through her, prodded by his actions.  He was nothing like any lover she'd had before - where they had varied in experience, he was a master, and were it not for Nocturnal hovering, ever-present, Atria would have thought him a practitioner of the Dibellan arts.  Even with him delivering bliss to every inch of her with his movements, it was Karliah that crashed first, atop Atria's mouth.  
  
Warm and sticky, Atria felt the flood that came with release cover her face and felt proud that her experienced but not adept actions had brought climax.  Karliah's keening filled the whole of the space around them, her body shuddering from the exaltation lavished upon her.   After moving off Atria, she leaned back in to give her a wet kiss, and caught her gasp as Brynjolf suckled at her clit, his speed increasing.    
  
Without needing to concentrate on Karliah, Atria was free to just enjoy and she did that, taking a moment to lean up slightly to catch sight of Brynjolf's head, threading her fingers through his auburn hair.  He was so gentle, there was no other way to think of it than that, but there was more power in his light, teasing touches than she'd ever experienced, and sheer euphoria when he applied pressure with perfect timing.  Hearing her own cries grow ragged, Atria felt the bud of orgasm begin to open, blossoming quickly as Karliah's hands slid over her body, her mouth covering a breast.    
  
It was furious, the waves that enveloped her, and Atria shook from their force.  Her howling sounded off the walls, echoing around, as colored lights danced in front of her shut eyes.  So intense it was that she nearly cried as the pleasure racked through her, pulsing through each limb.  In the moments after, when it subsided, she felt every part of her throbbing, her chest ached as she drew in breath, her throat raw from her screams of release.


	4. Chapter 4

Brynjolf pushed himself up, and Atria could see his face for the first time since they'd come over to her.  She'd expected him to look smugly proud for turning her into a boneless, floating, insensible mess but he didn't.  His features had turned lupine, his eyes hungry as they looked at her.  He kissed Karliah, still at Atria's side, but then leaned down to her, positioning himself above.  
  
The touch of his fingers as he brushed a stray hair from her face was light, but seemed loaded.  Indeed, when he brought his lips to hers, he was fierce, far harder than any before it.  His lips bruised, tongue dominated, teeth clinked against hers as they kissed again and again, each time more primal than the last.    
  
And then he entered her, spearing the parts his lips had just caressed, filling her with a heady roar from deep within his chest.  It was as rough as he had been gentle before, fast and energetic, him growling with each thrust.  He didn't lay on her, but stayed on his knees, her legs  wrapped loosely around his waist, and she could see his face, the way he looked with each stroke.  Watching him was almost as pleasing as feeling him inside of her, almost.  Their hips surged together, both wanting more than they could take, she giving in to his wildness.  Karliah was to his side now, and she grabbed his face, locking him in a kiss that slowed his rhythm with Atria.  
  
He slid out of Atria, still kissing Karliah, who mounted him and the two of them moved into a sitting position, with her on top.  Karliah dictated their speed, moving him in and out of her sheath with nimble, quick movements.  Catching her breath, Atria watched the two of them, Karliah with her eyes closed and hands planted on Bryn's shoulders, hoisting herself up and down and he murmuring, stroking breast and body as he submitted to her.  
  
Karliah came again, and Atria saw Brynjolf clench his teeth, hissing as the Dunmer released around him.  He wouldn't last much longer, Atria knew.  He spoke to Karliah in a low voice, sweat shining on her brow and she nodded, moving off his lap to lay against the cool ground.  One of his hands stroked his length, Atria watching the motion, mesmerized.  It crossed her mind that perhaps he finish it himself, but then he stopped, watching her.  
  
"Come here, lass."    
  
Atria scrambled over to him, it was only a few paces, but seemed so far.  He laid back against the stone and closed his eyes, motioning her to mount him.  She thought that he might lay there passive, but his hands guided her, and she wound up with her back to him as she sank down.    
  
They were slower at first, him caressing her back and breasts while she got used to the position.  It was a strange thing to feel him all around her, but see only Karliah.  She joined them again, kissing Atria with her soft lips as Brynjolf pulsed upwards into her.  Soon, Karliah's fingers slid down to tease her, adding a welcome trill to the steady beat of Brynjolf.  Atria came quickly, no where near as hard as the first time, but with a sigh, greeting the renewed feeling like an old friend.    
  
But still she'd had Brynjolf inside of her when she clenched and shivered her second, more milder climax, and he had already endured Karliah's during their earlier coupling.  On the heels of her own, he finally gave in, yelling inarticulately as he did.  Atria could feel the hot throb of his release inside of her, and she moved only slightly, working him through it.  
  
When it was finished, she reached up and kissed Karliah.  "Thank you."  Atria muttered, smiling.  Karliah was smiling too as she returned the kiss, saying nothing.  Gingerly, she extracted herself from Brynjolf, who was laying still beneath her with his eyes shut.    
  
"Thank you."  Atria whispered in his ear, and he hooked a leaden arm around her, pulling her close.  His tired kisses peppered her face, sweet, wordless acknowledgements.    
  
The hovering sphere that had been the presence of Nocturnal winked out above them, apparently satisfied with their offering.  All at once, the room seemed too cold, then too warm, and they were suffused with energy from the goddess.  Like it or not, they still had to go and stop Mercer, the parting gift from Nocturnal ensuring that they need not rest until they do.


	5. Chapter 5

Afterwards, despite Nocturnal's wishes, the three of them were not united.  Karliah bound them together, as best she could, friendly with both Atria and Brynjolf, speaking to the latter at length, sometimes in the Flagon, sometimes in her reclaimed Nightingale Hall.  At first, Atria thought it her own mind, but wasn't alone in noticing the distance that grew between her and Brynjolf.  
  
"I guess I'll have to stop calling you Brynjolf's protege."  Vekel said to her one night.  Atria laughed, she had no other appropriate response, save to wonder if Bryn had ever thought of her that way.  He certainly was taking pains to avoid her now, protege, fellow Nightingale and whatever else they were to each other.  He was always busy when she tried to speak to him and eventually, she stopped trying.  
  
"You should talk to Brynjolf."  Karliah said as a greeting when Atria came into Nightingale Hall.  It had been weeks since they'd chased down Mercer and she'd entered the Twilight Sepulchre, and while she and Karliah were closer than ever, relations between Atria and Bryn had fallen apart.  
  
It had gone from awkward to utter disaster, neither one of them being able to look at the other when they were in the Flagon.  She would feel him staring her at her, looking over with such naked passion that the gaze felt like a scorch, but he never said anything.   When she returned his looks, he would find something to busy himself or strike up a conversation.  It was maddening, mostly because she didn't know exactly what it was.    
  
She suspected that he knew how she'd felt that night, and every moment since, but couldn't bring himself to break her heart.  That was almost too gallant for a man that introduced himself as a thief, and despite the terrible irony, it made her like him more.   
  
"I'd love to talk to him, but he thinks we have nothing to say."  Atria explained tersely, her frustration coming out in the sentence.  "I'm sorry, this isn't easy."  She said to Karliah, who nodded.  
  
"I know, but he's been here a few times, and I think you owe it to him to at least let him know how you feel one way or the other.  That way he won' t go on wondering if he just imagined a connection between the two of you that night because he wanted one so badly."  Atria felt shock ricocheting through her.  Those were her thoughts, her lines, not his.  He was the one leaving her out in the cold, letting her off gently.  When she didn't answer, Karliah spoke up again.  
  
"Look, I was the odd man out that night, no matter what it felt like, and I still managed to have a good time.  Being driven out of your mind with pleasure isn't usually the way of Lady Nocturnal, but I'm glad it was this time.  She was right, I do feel more - connected than I have in a while, but you two didn't really need that night to make a bond.  You do need to talk to repair it, before Nocturnal hatches another plan for you two to win her devotion."  
  
"Right."  Atria said absently, missing the small jest.  "I should get to the guild."  She walked away, too lost in thought to hear Karliah's goodbye.  
  
It was business as usual in the Ragged Flagon when Atria slipped in the secret entrance.  She was as quiet as she could be coming in, taking the time to stand there and let her eyes find Brynjolf before moving again.  When she saw no sign of him, a quick question to Rune informed her that he was in the practice room.  Good, a secluded area would be best.  
  
"Hi."  Atria said, leaning against a wall.  It wasn't the best opening line, but she couldn't think of much else to say.    
  
He looked around to place the voice, and quickly looked away at seeing Atria in the doorway.  "Did you need something, lass?"  He asked, careful to keep his eyes averted from her.  
  
"We could try it again, but just you and I this time.  And we could talk, say things that need to be said."  She suggested, drawing closer to him.  
  
"Is that what you want, a second round?"  
  
"No."  Atria stopped, composing her thoughts.  "When you've lost something precious, you should go back to where you lost it.  I don't know how to name what we've lost, but we have and I thought we might just start over.  Make things right this time.  Tell you that I love you."  
  
She didn't have any more to say, but he still wasn't looking right at her.  Instead she watched him go over to the cupboard that stood in the room, his back to her.   Insecurity made her mind race, and she thought perhaps she'd heard Karliah wrong, there was no way he cared for her, had wanted more before that night.  
  
But then he turned and she saw the smile on his face, not hidden at all by his hood.  "You can't just walk in here and tell a man you love him."  He teased, and she raced over, crashing into his chest, making him stagger under the force of her embrace.  
  
"I just did."  Atria laughed, the sound of it muted only by the kiss he planted upon her lips.


End file.
